“It’s Apartheid”: Woman Complains About New Housing Development Plan in Cape Town

• A woman has sparked debate by calling Cape Town's new affordable housing plan a continuation of apartheid
• The housing development allows up to 12 rental units per plot, but concentrates these developments in the Cape Flats areas
• Social media users have shared personal experiences of ongoing segregation

A Cape Town woman has caused a stir by comparing the city's new affordable housing plan to apartheid policies, claiming it keeps poor residents trapped in the same areas they were forced into decades ago.

Content creator @mduduzi.makhoba shared the video on 1st July with the caption:

"THE INVISIBLE BORDERS OF APARTHEID IN CAPE TOWN," sparking heated discussions about spatial inequality.

In the video, the woman explains how Cape Town's new Small Scale Rental Housing plan allows property owners in certain areas to build up to 12 rental units on single residential plots. However, she argues that the majority of these developments are concentrated in the Cape Flats areas.

The woman points out that wealthy, historically white suburbs like Sea Point and Claremont are noticeably absent from the development map.

She highlights the daily struggles of residents living in these distant areas, explaining that commuting from places like Khayelitsha to the city centre requires travelling at least 30 kilometres one way. Using public transport can take between 90 minutes to two hours each way, meaning residents spend about four hours daily just travelling to and from work.

The financial burden is equally heavy, with taxi costs from Khayelitsha to town costing around R60 per day, totalling over R1,300 monthly. This represents almost half the minimum wage earnings of approximately R27-28 per hour.

Personal experiences shared

Social media users have shared their own experiences of ongoing segregation:

@thabo.mabula shared a heartbreaking story:

"I know a coloured man who was born in Constantia. He is 75 years old. His family was forcibly removed to Manenberg on the Cape Flats to a council rental 1-bedroom house. The pain is still in his eyes."

@jerome.schultz described rental discrimination:

"Recently I've applied for a rental in Burgundy estate and I was left in shock at the level of scrutiny I'm getting from white agents... It's almost as if I'm being told 'how can you afford as a coloured man to want to live in Burgundy estate'."

@oa.adeoye noted the strategy:

"Keeping working-class South Africans as far away from wealthy Cape Town residents as reasonably possible. The space created by the distance is a sort of security buffer."

@neo.phela referenced literature:

"Still segregated... Makes me think about this book I read, 'Map Jacob's' things never changed, just relabeled."

@stephani.fielies agreed:

"I love it, because you said what I think and as a social worker, my mind sees things differently, mental space is very important for success and healthy relationships."

Government zoning policies

According to the Cape Town government site, the city uses an integrated zoning scheme where all properties are subject to land use provisions in the Development Management Scheme. The city's Map and Zoning Viewer allows residents to access spatial details across the metro, with different zones colour-coded according to the zoning scheme.

Watch the Facebook reel below:

3 Other stories about Cape Town

• Briefly News recently reported on a white Cape Town man who went viral for speaking fluent isiXhosa, but the reaction from bystanders revealed something unexpected about cultural unity.
• Cape Town was voted the best city in the world again by Telegraph Travel Awards, though the recognition comes with some controversy about inequality that many find ironic.
• A vendor selling false teeth on Cape Town streets had South Africans laughing, but what the jar's label said about trying them on left people completely stunned.

Source: Briefly News